Cybersystem Gaiden: Shieldbearer
by Laser
Summary: A story centered on one of the characters of the Cybersystem RPG as well as his life story before his arrival in Electopia. Cybersystem is based on some concepts from Megaman Battle Network, with a few differences. Feel welcome to read and review.
1. Prologue

Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but centered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem RPG.

Prologue Chapter: Star Angel and The Solitary Star

Fifty-seven years ago...

Solar Collecting Space Station "Amaterasu"

Amaterasu Net Area 03

Sounds of explosions and clashes of weapons resound through the entire area, as viruses are deleted left and right. A lone Navi continues its attack as it turns around to fire to the surrounding viruses, aiming for vital spots with amazing accuracy. Soon, only silence prevailed as the viruses in the area have been completely deleted.

"Laser, report status!!" a voice called through the Navi's communications as he brings up a screen to his operator. The Navi known as Laser stands at a height of 5'5" and is garbed in a blue-and-white color scheme of a light frame armor that is highlighted by an occasional red on certain parts and a green prism as a chest plate. A visor covers his azure eyes as shoulder-length golden hair give him the look of a celestial being.

"Amaterasu Net Area 03 clear!! Operator: Kojuro..." Laser replied promptly to his operator as he disarms the buster on his arm, the Shining Buster, "It is best if we search for the lock and decode it to gain access to central control.

"Wakarimasu (trans. "Understood"), Laser... log out!!" Kojuro declared as Laser turns into a beam of data and promptly returned to his PET. Seitamashii Kojuro, now 38 years old, is a special member of ONBA's Netbattlers. He belongs to a family that are known for their ability to quickly comprehend concepts in technology and develop means of improving such concepts into applications. Standing just about as tall as his Navi, Kojuro's hair has changed to the crew cut instead of the well-combed short hair he has when he was still a teenager. He is wearing a space suit at the moment as he has just came through the space station's air lock half an hour ago.

Moving towards the door, Kojuro pressed on the switch nearby to finally have the door opened. Nodding in satisfaction, he then enters the door to lead into a large chamber filled with numerous computers and servers: Amaterasu's main control room. The red emergency light has been blinking ever since Kojuro came into the space station, signifying a breach into the security by some unauthorized individual... or some form of virus.

Without emotion or signs of being awed by the presence of such a large system, Kojuro quickly headed for the central server of the system. Taking out his PET, Kojuro pulls out the cable and attaches it to the terminal visible on the server's side. Laser immediately appears into the server's entry area and moved in. He then stopped moving forward as he encounters a red wall that resemble some sort of shield.

"Kojuro, there is a firewall here..." Laser said as he sends visual and technical data to his operator, "Either we are supposed to possess the Priority 1 access code, or we have to decode the password by ourselves."

"We have no time for finding an access code, Laser," Kojuro said as he brings out a handheld device and slots it into his PET, "Initializing decoder sequence!"

"Initializing decoder sequence.... Estimated time of completion will be thirty minutes, Kojuro..." Laser replied as he begins to do the decoding.

"Still too long, we won't make it in time..." Kojuro said as he looks around for something that could help speed up the process.

Just then, two more Navis appear beside Laser. One is a female Navi that looked like a senshi, while the other Navi resembles a dragoon. Both Navis stood beside Laser as they both initialize and execute the decoder sequence, assisting Laser in dealing with the firewall.

"Crystal? Dragooner? What are you doing here!?" Kojuro said as he sees what is going on in the server, "Then that means..."

"That's quite rude of you, Kojuro-san..." a man's voice said as his face appeared in a window on the screen of Kojuro's PET, "Don't you know that help should always be welcomed?"

"That's right, Kojuro-san..." a woman's voice called as her face also showed up in a new window on the PET's monitor, "Ken-san and I figured that you may need help on figuring out how to decode the firewall's protection..."

"Kojuro!! We have decoded the firewall's password!" Laser called out as the red wall finally vanished, "Thank you for your support, Crystal, Dragooner!"

"No problem, Laser-san!" Crystal replied as she gave him a wink, "That's why we came along!"

"It is our pleasure to be of assistance, Laser..." Dragooner replied with a nod, "Now, make haste to reach the server, our time is limited..."

"See you later, Kojuro-san..." Ken said as he gave Kojuro a salute, "Yume and I will be waiting for you in the shuttle just circling around the space station..."

"Sou desu..." Yume nodded in reply, "Be sure to come back to us..."

With that, the two Navis logged out, leaving Laser to turn around and rush into the deeper recesses of Amaterasu's server. After a long dash to through a quiet path, Laser finally steps into the main net area of the server. Before him is the server's inactive program... as well as something else.

"A multi-bug organism...?" Kojuro frowned as he recognizes the features that are similar to the first multi-bug organism that existed. The only difference is that this multi-bug organism resembled Laser's form. Turning to face Laser, the bug clone grew bat-like wings on its back and took to the air while it forms a black sword on its hand.

"Laser, initialize and execute battle mode!!" Kojuro declared to his Navi as he loads in a Sword chip into his PET's slot.

"Battle mode execution!!" Laser replied as he glows and forms angelic wings on his back. Following towards the bug clone, he unleashes his sword for combat. The two clash in a mid-air combat as they exchange blows and parries as if in an elaborate sword dance, only managing to deal minor nicks and slices at each other as they fly around. The sword fight ends with both Laser and his clone pushing each other away, as Laser notices some form of timer on the clone's chest.

"One minute remaining before the Amaterasu fires its solar charge earthwards, Laser!!" Kojuro said as he looks to his watch and back to his PET, "Get ready-- FULL SYNCHRO!!!"

Kojuro's body glowed an unnatural light as Laser's systems start to improve its efficiency by up to 150%. The clone noticed this, and begins bringing up an aura to protect itself while bringing out a larger sword to deal with Laser. On the other hand, Laser's body glowed into a golden color as his powers reach beyond its normal capacity.

"Ikuze Laser!!!" Kojuro declares as he inserts his three best sword chips into the PET, "Advance attack: Life Sword 3!!!"

Laser extends his sword arm out as a grand and elaborate sword appears and extends from his arm. Again he engages with the bug clone in a deadly battle of swords. However, this time he fights with near god-like speeds. Damage is still unavoidable as the blows come harder, but this time, even Kojuro is getting affected with each blow the clone manages to land on Laser.

"Twenty seconds left..." Kojuro murmured as he wipes the blood that is flowing down on his left cheek, "Laser, give it everything you've got!!"

16, 15, 14...

"Affirmative!!" Laser replied as he smashed with all his might on the clone's blade with his sword, smashing both weapons to pieces. Bringing his other arm up to bear, he shows that he has been holding a charged attack all the while.

8, 7, 6...

"Stellar Shine Burst!!!" both Navi and operator yelled at the same time as Laser punches his opponent at the chest.

4, 3, 2...

A bright and stunning flash followed inside the server's net area, flooding the place with a blinding light. Even in the control room, the blinding flash has surrounded the place.

'Sayonara... minna-tachi... Soshite, Miyuu-san...' Kojuro said as the flash of light surrounded him as well. Memories of his memorable moments with friends flash by his eyes as they begin to close and he finally smiles as he falls backwards.

0...

What followed next is silence. Amaterasu's solar releaser remained silent after the countdown has passed. Even inside the station, everything is silent...

Hours later.....

Inside a Hospital at Seikuu Province...

"It has been hours since the doctors are checking up on what's wrong with Kojuro..." Ken said as he glances at the digital clock that is located up the wall of the hallway, "I don't like the way this is turning out..."

Standing about 5'9" in height, Seitamashii Hoshi Ken has grown to have the features of a gentleman. A charming face, well toned body, and clothes to match his classiness. The only thing that is out of place is the left eye that has not changed since his childhood days, having a yellow-hued pupil that resembled that of a dragon's eye.

"We're all worried about him..." Yume said as she rests her arms on the level surface of her hoverchair, "Yet... I recall something that he said before... something like: 'To shine brighter than any other star, even if for a moment'... Do you think there is any relation?"

Only at 5'6", Seitamashii Tsuki Yume has grown to become a beautiful woman. Succumbing to a disease that affected her nervous system at the lower body, she has resorted to using a hoverchair provided by her superiors. Despite her disability, Yume still continues to offer help as a researcher for Navi development... and often times, as a netbattler.

"Soreja, they better hurry up!" Crystal piped up from Yume's PET, "Laser-kun's back-up contained nothing more but the basic framework of the experimental Navi he was based from!!! We can't get anything to bring him back from that!"

"It would seem to me that Sir Kojuro knows Laser's programming code by memory and heart..." Dragooner mentioned from Ken's PET as Ken took it out, "This is truly quite a dilemma..."

The light of the operating room finally dims as the doors open. One of the doctors stepped out from the room and looked to the two Seitamashiis.

"Well, good doctor? Will he be alright?" Ken asked as politely as possible despite the anxiety that is building up within him.

Taking off the surgical mask, the doctor's face is grim and solemn he gives the two an explanation of Kojuro's condition.

"Sonna... masaka..." Yume remarked as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. Ken could only look away as tries to hold back the tension.

A week later...

Hall of Celestials in Hokuto City, capital of Seikuu...

Rain has been pouring for days since the ceremony has ended, as if the heavens are crying for the loss of an individual. The Hall of Celestials has always been the final resting-place for the departed of the Seitamashii. Somewhere within the massive hallway, the body of Seitamashii Kojuro lies in stasis. Beside him is a holographic image of his Navi, Laser.exe, standing in solemn silence. Kojuro's hair has turned white as he lies inside the pod, his face showing a sign of content.

"They say that Kojuro pushed his synchronization capabilities way past its limits..." Ken said as he looks at the monument, "It somehow caused his essence to part from his body and join Laser's body during that moment."

"Amaterasu's technicians have searched high and low throughout its server's net area..." Yume then said, "They couldn't find any trace of Laser... or Kojuro anywhere..."

And so ends the life of Seitamashii Kojuro at age 38. Called the Solitary Star while Laser is known as the Star Angel, the two are known to be inseparable and steadfast. Like his call name, Kojuro never had shown much emotion to anyone... even to those who consider him as a friend. Known to stand up even against fearsome odds, people could only wait for the time when he will ever awaken from his slumber.

Prologue End


	2. Chapter 1

Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but centered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem RPG.  
  
Chapter 1: Shieldbearer Born  
  
46 years after Kojuro's passing... or 11 years prior to the start of Cybersystem's story...  
  
Hall of Celestials in Hokuto City, capital of Seikuu...  
  
It is raining on the day I first visited the Hall of Celestials, just like the day when they have finally laid the Solitary Star on his final resting-place here. Beside the pod where his body lies is that of his Navi, the Star Angel. My parents have told me of many stories about the operator and the Navi, especially the last one where the two have fought their final battle and risked their lives just to avert the disaster that could have razed the planet.  
  
Gomen ne... I haven't formally introduced myself... I am Seitamashii Ryuu and I'm four years old this year. My family line has traced its most recent line from that of Seitamashii Hoshi Ken, one of the Solitary Star's closest friends... or acquaintance... as how Granduncle Ken has preferred of saying. My granduncle has joined the Solitary Star under his title, Dragon Omen, while his Navi Dragooner is called the Grand Knight. Coincidentally, his grave has been placed to the left of the Solitary Star's monument, simply to make it clear his role has a great impact on the many missions that the Solitary Star has accomplished.  
  
I will be attending school a week later... in the Academy that is found down a few blocks away. The Academy is also the same academy that the Solitary Star, my granduncle, and many other Seitamashiis have studied in. They say that once someone has completed their initial studies in the Academy, their skills would have been equal to at least two levels higher than the standards. Granduncle has told me stories that they undergone rigorous training in order to pass and gain their place as Netbattlers.  
  
Somehow, I have an equal feeling of excitement and dread as the week draws near to the fateful day that I enter the esteemed hallways of the Academy. Excited because I will get to experience a lot of things such as meeting new people and learning something new... yet dreading as I realize that I will not be returning to my home for a long time... Maybe not even after finishing my stay in the Academy...  
  
One week later...  
  
Academy in Hokuto City, capital of Seikuu...  
  
The sun has been shining brightly at noontime as my parents dropped me off at the room I will be staying in near the Academy. Despite the brightness of the daytime light, the air is surprisingly cool and crisp... Not surprising since Seikuu is located on the Northern Hemisphere. That and it is almost the end of fall. After exchanging farewells, my parents finally left. I hurried to the outlying balcony of my room as I see the car cruising down the road.  
  
School started pretty much the usual way with other schools outside the country. We have Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and of course, basic introduction to PETs, Navis, and battlechips. While it is interesting to do the various activities that the teachers gave us, it is in the PETs and Navis that I seem to have a lasting interest in.  
  
The next day gave us a lot of insight on what we will be doing for duration of our stay in the Academy. There is actually one wing dedicated for various netbattling needs and skills as well as Navi customizing courses. Another wing of the Academy is dedicated to curricular activities and yet another wing for various extracurricular and sports. We even got to see an exhibition netbattling match between two of the Academy's Netbattlers who have received high ratings from the various instructors of the institute. It is a very breathtaking battle where the two are actually evenly matched despite the differences in the styles that they possess.  
  
For the first two years, all we get to do is the basics of everything. There was nothing difficult in what we are supposed to do as long as we follow as what the instructors tell us to do. After the learning sessions, we get to have fun activities that are supposed to further assist in our learning capabilities. We also get to watch several netbattles and visited many places to learn about many things.  
  
The third year is much different from the first two. We are finally given training PETs with test Navis for us to customize as we please and prefer. The instructors said that the PETs and Navis we have received has special sensors set into them, in order to help them better gauge our abilities in and out of netbattles. Figuring that it is best to focus on the defensive aspect of netbattles while customizing my Navi, I have set it to become tough enough to take even the hardest of blows to it. As well as boosting its HP in order to keep it from getting logged out too quickly in battles.  
  
In the following sets of months, we spent most of our Netbattling classes learning about the various viruses that have existed, as well as their capabilities and weaknesses. We then got to apply this knowledge by fighting such viruses in different simulated battles, either in team or alone. The virus busting sessions are done in various environments specifically suited to the viruses' home environment to add more realism in dealing with them. After those months have passed, I am able to fight with little trouble against many different viruses with little difficulty at all.  
  
I can't wait for the following year to come. They say that it will be the part where we will actually receive our own PETs and Navis for our use. In addition to that, we are to learn the more difficult procedures that are found in netbattling. Everyone else is just as eager as well, unable to contain their excitement as stories and conversations are mostly about the plans that everyone has in customizing their Navis and how they will become the best netbattler around.


	3. Chapter 2

Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but centered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem RPG.

Chapter 2: The First Shield

Seven years prior to the start of Cybersystem's story...

Academy District of Hokuto City, capital of Seikuu...

The dismissal bell resounded in The Academy upon the clock's striking at four in the afternoon. Students of various ages eventually come out of the doors of the institute to make their way around the city either to find a place to relax, some to do research, while some to spend their time with their family. One youth in particular, the one called Seitamashii Ryuu, went straight back to his room in the dormitory, in his hand is a box containing the basic PET unit that has a customizable Navi program. Running quickly, Ryuu slams the door behind him as he entered his room and set aside his bag on the bed. He then takes the box and sits before his study table, putting the box on the table as anticipation builds within him.

"Yoshi! Finally I have my own Navi!" Ryuu exclaimed as he opens the box to take out the PET within. Turning on his PC, Ryuu puts the PET on the plug-in terminal that is attached to his computer.

After the computer fully boots up, it detects the PET's systems and performs a check. It then fires up the application that involves the setup of the PET's operating system and eventually the Navi.

__

"PET operating system setup complete, please insert Navi data disk into your R-drive (readable drive) and press Enter"

"This is it then..." Ryuu said as he takes out the disk that came along with the PET, found inside the box. The disk has Ryuu's name written on it, along with a label saying "Navi data disk" on it. Ryuu placed the disk into his computer's R-drive and pressed Enter, then waiting for the computer to put up the Navi data into the PET.

"Hmmm...." Ryuu said as he checked how long the process would take as shown on the computer's monitor, "Forty-five minutes...? That's awfully long... Maybe I can do something else while waiting for it to finish..."

After the time has passed, Ryuu comes back and takes a look at the monitor. A program has opened with a display showing details and parameters of a Navi that Ryuu has remembered back when they have started learning about Navis.

"Yokattane! Now all I have to do is to allocate bits to the parameters," Ryuu said as he moves the mouse over the bit pool. Allocating bits to the various parameters, "I will focus on defense and toughness, so that my Navi can take an attack and still stand up to fight..."

"Of course, I should put some points in accuracy and evasion so that more fatal attacks can be avoided... and so that I can hit the opponent's Navi or a fast-moving virus...."

"His appearance has to show that he is tough..." Ryuu then said as he started to select the parts for his Navi's physical appearance, "A bit of the armored look will show it, but not too big as to impede on maneuverability... His overall color would then be green..."

"Hmmm.... I'll give him the Earth setup, so that it will supplement and further boost my Navi's capability to survive in Netbattles..." Ryuu said as he then turns towards the battlechips, "And a variety of support and defense battlechips to complement with offensive battlechips to wear out the opponents...."

Once Ryuu has entered the needed information for his Navi, all that is left for him to do is to provide a name as the computer prompts him to provide a name for his Navi.

"Hmmm.... a name...?" Ryuu wondered as he takes out a list of names he has already prepared for his Navi. Several names have already been crossed out with comments such as "Too simple" or "Too strange" written beside them.

"Since my Navi is going to be a tough to beat earth elemental.... I think this name will do..." Ryuu said as he pulls out the keyboard and proceeds to type the letters G, A, I, U, and S into the name entry field and pressed Enter. The PET beeped as it starts to receive the information for the Navi, making room to its most crucial part of the system. The PET displayed the approximate time to finish the Navi's construction: minimum of two hours.

"Nani da yo!? Two hours!?" Ryuu exclaimed as he looks at the PET's monitor and then to his computer monitor. No doubt that the files are indeed big in size, as expected of more recent custom Navis... especially of the Seitamashii variety. Ryuu checks his watch, and realizes that he might as well leave the computer on for the night to complete the final installation. Changing to his sleeping clothes, Ryuu then lies down on his bed and proceeds to sleep.

Late in the night....

As Ryuu slumbers peacefully, the final installation has completed. A Navi according to the design that Ryuu has set appears on the PET's monitor, looking at itself silently before looking at its surroundings. Realizing that it is late in the night, it simply keeps quiet as it performs a diagnostics check of itself.

Morning soon comes as Ryuu's alarm clock beeps loudly, causing Ryuu to turn and toss in his bed as he reaches out for the alarm clock's button to turn it off.

"Hnnnhhhh.... Just a few more minutes..." Ryuu said lazily as he turns back to doze off once again. Just as he is about to fall asleep once again, a loud beeping resounds in the room once more.

".......? Nani ka...!?" Ryuu wondered as he finally got up from bed and looked to where the beeping noise is coming from. He then notices his computer having a sound program activated to make the beeping noise. Coming forward to turn off the sound program, Ryuu then looked to the PET on the side of the computer.

"Better change your clothes, Ryuu," the green figure inside the PET said to Ryuu as he stares at its monitor, "You wouldn't want to be late for school."

Ryuu blinked a few times as he continued to stare at the Navi in his PET, eventually grinning with excitement. Taking the PET off the extension port connected to the computer, he takes a closer look at his Navi.

"Gaius...?" Ryuu asked as he looks into the monitor of the PET.

"Yes, Ryuu... that's the name you gave me..." Gaius nodded as he tries to move the topic back to the more pressing need, "Now, about..."

"Yokattane! My Navi is complete!" Ryuu yells out in joy as he quickly places his PET on the available belt strap included with the set and goes to take a quick shower and change for school.

".... At least he's quick in getting changed for school..." Gaius mentions as he crosses his arms while nodding as-a-matter-of-factly. Ryuu picks up his PET and his backpack, locking the door of his room before running off to school.


	4. Chapter 3

Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but entered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem Gaiden RPG.  
  
Chapter 3: Netbattle! A Promise of Friendship  
  
A month after getting his own custom Navi, Ryuu has already fought over a hundred netbattles. With the number of his wins somehow greater than that of his losses, Ryuu finds himself positioned among the upper ranked members of his class when it comes to netbattling. Constantly striving to give his all in getting better, Ryuu manages to find some time practicing with Gaius in his dorm room after school whenever he finishes his homework.  
  
"Ryuu, don't you think you're being hard on yourself?" Gaius asked his operator after he deleted the last of the training dummy program that resembled the sword-wielding Fire Swordin virus.  
  
"Iine, Gaius... I have to train some more if I want to keep my position in class..." Ryuu said as he leans back a moment to check Gaius' parameters to make sure that he could still manage, "You did see how the others fought really well, didn't you?"  
  
".... Yes..." Gaius admitted to what his operator said. There are Navis that are probably stronger than he is by at least a fivefold, "But still, I believe that there are other things that you can do rather than practicing for netbattles every time... hmmm...?"  
  
Looking outside the PET he is in, Gaius noticed that Ryuu is already asleep on his chair. Shaking his head, Gaius then performs a diagnostics check on himself to make sure that his systems are in good condition before switching to standby mode.  
  
The next day, in netbattling class...  
  
The class is in its usual lively mood as the students talk about their Navis, or what they have planned for this day. Ryuu simply listens to the conversations his classmates are having, thinking of what he can do to counter their tactics and strategies. It is only when the bell rang and the instructor came in that they finally quieted down.  
  
"Listen up everyone!" the instructor said as he types something on the keyboard, showing on their monitors what seems to be a table with the standings of each student in class, "We're going to have the netbattling rules modified a bit to give others a better chance in the standings."  
  
Whispers waft about the classroom as everyone wonders what the instructor meant. With a few button presses, the names of the students are matched to another student.  
  
"We will have a student with a higher standing be paired with another student from the lower standings," the instructor explained as the new netbattling rules are displayed, "Netbattles will now be a two-on-two match, a pair will lose the match if one of the two netbattlers' Navi is beaten... This is in effort to help those in the lower rankings to learn a thing or two from those in the higher rankings."  
  
Some complaints can be heard before the instructor raises his hand to silence the class, "This will promote a spirit of teamwork between those who are assigned in the pairings, and to better improve everyone's skills in netbattling. Now that's said, we shall resume from where we last stopped yesterday's lessons..."  
  
Sure enough, the pairing came up in each student's monitors. Seeing who he is paired with, Ryuu looked to the direction of his partner and stood up to quickly follow the instructor. He then calls the instructor's attention about his assigned partner.  
  
"Yes, Ryuu?" the instructor turns to look to him and considers his question, "What do you wish to say about your partner?"  
  
"I do not fight well with a partner..." Ryuu said as he looks around, "My partner might just lose... and cause both of us to have lower rankings..."  
  
The instructor smiled, putting a hand on Ryuu's shoulder.  
  
"You'll figure out a way..." the instructor said while patting Ryuu's shoulder, "You managed to figure out how to survive all this while even with a Navi that is weaker in terms of speed... So I have faith that you'll pull through with your partner."  
  
"You should try talking to her..." the instructor said as he looks to the classroom's door, "I believe that both of you will come up of something..."  
  
As the instructor left, Ryuu looks to the direction of the classroom's door as well, seeing his partner standing there. Her brown hair reaches her shoulders and her eyes also slightly brown in color, a hairclip holds her hair up on the right side to keep it from falling over her eyes. She wears a white blouse with green trimmings and a knee-length skirt. From the way she is looking at Ryuu, it seems that she has heard the conversation as well.  
  
"Gomen... Arisa..." Ryuu said as he looks away, realizing that his partner has heard the conversation, "Demo..."  
  
Ryuu's explanation was cut short when a pair approaches them. Looking at the direction of the pair that approached them, Ryuu recognizes them as one of those in the higher rankings of their batch... as well as one of the students that is known for many underhanded tactics but never seem to get past the lower rankings.  
  
"What's wrong, Ryuu?" the latter one mocked, "Got paired with a girl?"  
  
"Urusai, Earl!" Ryuu retorted, "As if you have even managed to get off from the ranking position that you are in..."  
  
"But that's going to change... now that I'm paired with Jian here..." Earl taunted as he took out his PET, "In fact, we can beat the two of you right here and now!"  
  
"Ryuu... Chotto matte kudasai..." Arisa said as she tries to remind Ryuu about the new rules. Ryuu, however, is focused on taking out Earl as quickly as possible as he took out his PET as well. Jian took out his PET, seeing that a challenge has been made and accepted.  
  
"Iyada desu..." Arisa sighed as she quickly follows and takes out her PET as the others plugged in to a nearby port to netbattle, being able to send in her Navi just a few seconds behind.  
  
Gaius stands at a readied position as his two opponents stand before him. Earl's Navi is garbed in an all-black trench coat, sporting a hat that has a rim that covers most of the head and a mask with a sinister grin. Jian's Navi is close by, resembling some form of cyber swordsman in light armor. Arisa's Navi appears a few steps behind Gaius as well, somehow looking like Arisa except that she has longer hair that is tied to a ponytail and is wearing a green bodysuit with some protective gear and visors.  
  
"Go, Shade!!" Earl commands as he slots in a Shadow battle chip into his PET, allowing his Navi to turn into a shadow and cross quickly along the ground and passing by Gaius and towards Arisa's Navi with an arm changing into a long blade. Jian's Navi follows its flank as it receives a Sword battlechip to use and charges at Gaius.  
  
"Don't underestimate me!" Ryuu exclaims as Gaius brings his arms up to block the attack of Jian's Navi. Arisa let out a cry as she inserted a Barrier for her Navi to use, just in time as the Barrier forms around her Navi and protects her from Shade's attack.  
  
"Ryuu, Shade is going after Arisa's Navi!" Gaius mentions as he pushes Jian's Navi away, bringing up a Sword to swing at Shade.  
  
"He he... We have you where we wanted..." Earl mentioned as Shade dissipates into the ground to avoid getting hit by Gaius, reappearing beside Jian's Navi as the swordsman suddenly appeared before Gaius and Arisa's Navi to unleash the powerful Life Sword upon the two. While Gaius was able to survive the attack, Arisa's Navi could not stand up to the power of the PA (Program Advance) attack and was forced to log out.  
  
"!" Ryuu gritted his teeth upon seeing that the two have managed to work together, Earl's underhanded tactics coupled with Jian's powerful sword battlechips and PAs formed a deadly combination that Ryuu cannot deal with under these rules.  
  
"Ha ha ha! I told you that the tides are turned this time!" Earl gloated as he plugged out his PET from the terminal, "Well, Jian and I will be heading of to fight the others. So long losers!"  
  
"Ryuu-san... I, I'm sorry..." Arisa apologized to Ryuu as she unplugs from the terminal as well, letting her Navi be repaired by her PET, "I wasn't able to help you at all..."  
  
"... No..." Ryuu mentioned as he tries to clear his mind of the feeling of being defeated like that, "If I just paid attention to being able to help you when Earl did that, you would not have gotten into trouble..."  
  
Silence overcomes the two as they find themselves having nothing to say, noticing that other people are surrounding them and saw what has happened. Somewhat embarrassed, Ryuu hurried along with Arisa outside. The two eventually end up in the park across the Academy.  
  
"Hmmm... We should first compare our battlechips, " Ryuu mentioned as he brings up the list of battlechips he has set on the chip folder he equipped to Gaius. Arisa does the same as she brings up Iris' battlechips as she and Ryuu compares what they have. Starting that afternoon, the two begin to know more about each other.  
  
"Ryuu-san, I think we should continue this tomorrow after class..." Arisa said as she looks up to the orange-red sky, "Arigatou again for helping me."  
  
With a smile, Arisa waves good-bye to Ryuu. She then head back to the dormitory that she lives in. Ryuu waves back as he then puts his PET back into his belt strap, running back to the dormitory he is staying at as well. 


	5. Chapter 4

Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but entered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem Gaiden RPG.  
  
Chapter 4: Power of Friendship! Full Synchro Mode!  
  
Two weeks have passed since Arisa and Ryuu spent time in training together, figuring out their shortcomings and helping each other cover their weaknesses. Slowly but surely, they managed to climb up through the ranks, finally reaching the top division.  
  
"Ryuu-kun..." Arisa calls to Ryuu as they walk together to class.  
  
"What is it, Arisa?" Ryuu asked as he stops to look to his partner.  
  
"I just wanted to say... thank you..." Arisa says to Ryuu as she momentarily looks to the ground, "Without your help, I would probably still be in the bottom division."  
  
"You're welcome, Arisa..." Ryuu replies, smiling as he blushes slightly, "Actually, I should also thank you for becoming my partner, Arisa. I wouldn't have realized about the many things that I couldn't handle by myself."  
  
"Awww, now look at that..." Earl mocked as he and Jian pass by, "The lovebirds are finally getting along. Not that it matters though, since Jian and I will just mop everyone here and take the top rank. Isn't that right, Jian?"  
  
Jian merely shrugged as he continues to walk, not minding what his partner mentioned. He did pass a glance at Arisa and Ryuu, as if he knows something about the way they have managed to reach the top division.  
  
"Hey!? I'm talking to you!" Earl called at Jian as he ran after his partner. Soon, Earl's voice fades away as they continue off in the distance. Ryuu simply glares at the two as they walk away, making sure that those two will be proven wrong.  
  
"Anou, Ryuu-kun?" Arisa asked as she then stood beside Ryuu.  
  
"Is there something wrong, Arisa?" Ryuu inquires when he noticed that Arisa has a worried look on her face.  
  
"We'll make it, right?" Arisa asked as she looked at Ryuu, "I mean... Jian and Eric are really strong. Nobody has beat them even once since they are paired together."  
  
"Don't worry, Arisa-san," Ryuu assured Arisa as he gave a thumbs-up sign, "All we need to do is to follow what we trained for and what we did in previous fights, and we'll surely win!"  
  
"Hai, okay Ryuu-kun!" Arisa smiled as she replied. The two of them then proceed to the site where the finals will be held.  
  
The match starts, with the pairs set to fight with one another. Arisa and Ryuu manage to clear one match after another with little difficulty, surprising each and every pair that they encounter. Soon, they come face-to-face with Earl and Jian on the final match.  
  
"So... You guys have gotten better since the first time we've met..." Earl said as he follows Jian in plugging his PET in, "But Jian and I are still better than you!"  
  
"That's what you think, Earl!" Ryuu remarked as he and Arisa plugged in as well, "Iris, Gaius! Let's show them how well we have trained for this."  
  
"Let's go, Iris!" Arisa calls to her Navi as she slots in some battlechips into her PET for Iris to use.  
  
"Hahahaha! Do you think you can get away from us?" Earl mocks as he sets in a Shadow battlechip, causing Shade to meld into a shadowy form and moves along the ground towards Iris. Jian slots in a set of five different Sword battlechips into his PET as he sends Zan to go after Gaius.  
  
"Now, Iris!" Arisa then called to her Navi just before Shade is about to swing the blade. Iris vanished at an instant as she dropped down into the ground with the use of a battlechip. Gaius proceeded to block Zan's sword attack, rendering the attack worthless as he parried the attack aside with his armored arms.  
  
With Earl still surprised at how his attack missed, Arisa then called on Iris to fire a Zap Ring at Zan's direction as soon as Gaius parried the sword aside. Taking this opportunity, Gaius then used his own Sword battlechips to create the Life Sword and delivered a wide swathe with the weapon. The power of the Life Force sends both Shade and Zan falling back as Earl started complaining at how they were repelled.  
  
"Give it up Earl! You can't win against us this time!" Ryuu then said after Gaius used the program advance, "We have figured out your strategy and made a way to render it ineffective."  
  
"Heh... Don't count on it, Ryuu..."Earl said as he brought out a battlechip that has a different marking on it, with Jian taking out a similar battlechip, "We still have one trick up our sleeves..."  
  
With the slotting of the battlechips into their respective PETs, Shade and Zan started to change. Shade started to turn back into his Shadow Form, as Zan's body started growing swords at his arms and torso. Shade changes into a ball and attaches himself to Zan's body, suddenly changing Zan into a Shadow form as well as they combine into an entirely different form.  
  
"Ryuu! Shade and Zan have combined!?" Arisa exclaimed as she let Iris stay in the safety of the drop hole.  
  
"How is that possible?" Ryuu remarked, slotting in a Barrier for Gaius to use in case things get out of hand. Even he is not sure of how this combining capability actually works.  
  
"I see that you are surprised," Earl said as he grinned from ear-to-ear, "Let us show you how powerful this combining ability is."  
  
At that instant, Shade/Zan suddenly rushed forwards Gaius. Gaius responded by activating the Barrier to protect himself from any attack that the combination of their opponents will be doing. However, Shade/Zan decided on otherwise by extending two shadowy appendages towards Gaius, breaking the Barrier with a lash with the blades. With one swift motion, Shade/Zan pulls out two pairs of swords and struck them at Gaius consecutively. Gaius was sent lying on his back, despite the resistant armor that he possesses. Glowing data can be seen on the area where he is hit.  
  
"Hold on Gaius!" Iris called out as she fires as pair of Kunai at Shade/Zan, hoping to deal a blow on the combined Navi and distract it. But Shade/Zan noticed the Kunai coming and reshaped to let the Kunai to pass along without hitting him. Shade/Zan then counters with the shadow blades. The blades stab Iris on her shoulders, pulling her out of her hiding place and pinning her down to the floor. Iris cried out in pain as she tries to pull the blades out in futility.  
  
"Gyahahaha----!!! Now you see our true power!" Earl laughed, seeing as how they have this game in the bag, "So why don't you guys just give up and go home!"  
  
"Ryuu! Iris and Gaius are outclassed with their Navi's combined form," Arisa said as she scans Shade/Zan's attributes, "Even if we are in our best condition, that Navi is more powerful than ours..."  
  
"Not yet, Arisa..." Gaius mentioned as he manages to stand up, "Ryuu did promise that we would win this fight together..."  
  
"That's right!" Ryuu mentions as he sends a Recovery battlechip to Gaius in order to heal some of the damage, "As long as we can fight, we won't quit!"  
  
At that moment, Gaius began to glow a bright emerald shine. Ryuu's eyes seem to have the same glow as well. Gaius' wounds begin to close, sealing all traces of damage that has been received from the attack.  
  
"Hey! What are you doing!?" Earl called out at Ryuu as he and Jian commanded Shade/Zan to strike with the other swords that are free to use. Gaius simply moved to a blocking position to negate the damage while Ryuu slots in a Sword into the PET.  
  
"You think that a normal Sword can beat us?" Earl taunted as he sees Gaius activating the Sword onto his arm while approaching.  
  
"We'll never know..." Ryuu mentions in unison with Gaius as they stand right in front of Shade/Zan, "But you'll be surprised..."  
  
"Grrr! Let's finish him, Jian!" Earl said as Jian nodded and uploaded elemental Swords along with Earl. Letting go of Iris, Shade/Zan than has the swords activated and sent them down at Gaius to finish him off, when the Sword Gaius is armed with suddenly grew in size.  
  
Moving much faster than the combined Navi, Gaius sends the Sword right through Shade/Zan's body with so much force; the two Navis separated and are forced to log out at the same time.  
  
"W, what!? B, but how...?" Earl stuttered as he fell on his knees, shocked at what just happened. Jian remained calm however as he finally disconnected his PET from the terminal.  
  
"That was a good match..." Jian finally said as he looks to Ryuu, "I look forward to fighting again some day..."  
  
As Jian leaves the scene, Ryuu smiles as he sees that he has kept his promise. He then closes his eyes... and falls onto the floor.  
  
"Ryuu! What's wrong?" Arisa calls to Ryuu as she notices that Ryuu's arms are bleeding, with cuts being visible on the spots where he is bleeding. 


	6. Chapter 5

Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but entered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem Gaiden RPG.  
  
Chapter 5: Same Power, Different Mode  
  
I can't quite recall how long I was unconscious after that fight ended, but when I did wake up, I was lying in a bed of a hospital room.  
  
"Ryuu-kun?" a familiar voice called as I slowly turned to look to the direction where I heard it. It was Arisa, and from the looks of it, she is clearly very worried.  
  
"Arisa...?" I remarked as I eventually smiled at her and tried to get myself to sit up. It was at that moment that I found myself devoid of any strength to even move an arm.  
  
"Please, Ryuu-kun, don't force yourself!" Arisa told me as she placed a hand on my shoulder to let me know that it is all right to just be at the way I am. She blushed lightly when she did this before taking her hand off my shoulder, "I'll call the doctor to come."  
  
When Arisa left the room, I tried to recall what happened before I passed out. One thing for sure, Jian and Earl have figured out a new way of fighting when it comes to pair netbattling, and it made the combined form of their Navis much more powerful than any one Navi on its own. It was what happened next that was unclear, it felt as if he was looking right through Gaius' eyes on that last few moments of the fight, and he could actually feel how it is like to move like his Navi.  
  
"It is really surprising that you were able to execute that feat, Ryuu..." another voice said as I looked to the door. It is a man, a doctor to be more precise, coming through the door as Arisa followed closely behind, "I am Dr. Seitamashii Daikou Kojuro, pleased to meet you."  
  
"Pleased to meet you, thank you for watching over me..." I replied out of courtesy as he stood beside the bed. From where I am, I could see that he has some form of device worn over his left eye. It must be one of those newer devices used in hospitals to refer to the condition of patients.  
  
"So... How long was I unconscious?" I then proceeded to ask the doctor out of curiosity of my condition, "A few hours?"  
  
"The truth is, you have been unconscious for three days straight," Kojuro mentioned calmly as he looks to Arisa before asking her, "Could you leave us by ourselves for a moment?"  
  
"Y, yes, doctor..." Arisa replied as she looked to me and told me before leaving, "Please get well soon, Ryuu-kun."  
  
'Three days?' I thought as I simply nodded to Arisa, seeing her leave the room with a soft click of the door. It is now just the doctor and me in the room.  
  
"Actually, you were expected to be unconscious for two more days," the doctor finally mentioned once he is sure that Arisa has left the room, "But that is not the reason why I need to talk to you about your condition."  
  
I finally calmed down as I looked to the doctor, waiting for him to explain to me what happened at that moment.  
  
"First things first, the condition that you went through at the moment of the fight is called Synchronization," the doctor mentioned as the monitor beside my bed turned on to display some figures representing a person and a Navi, "Synchronization is the capability of the operator to have his awareness be present within a Navi, thereby increasing the performance of the Navi by at least double of its original ability."  
  
"I guess that explains how I managed to beat the combination of those two Navis..." I mention after listening to the explanation given by the doctor, "But how does it explain why I am here right now?"  
  
"It's not difficult to explain that," the doctor continued as he proceeded to discuss about synchronization, "In addition to having one's awareness together with the Navi, the downside is that whatever damage that is suffered by the Navi will also be suffered by the operator. It has been speculated that this is done in order for the Navi to cope with the shock it receives from attacks and therefore suffer less at the cost of the operator's condition."  
  
"That is also why this has happened to you..." the doctor said as he held up one of my arms to me, it was then that I realized that both of my arms have bandages rolled on them, "The sword attacks that your Navi has parried that time were not completely negated, and part of the damage has been inflicted upon you."  
  
I was speechless when the doctor explained to me what has happened, so many things going on that I'm not sure what I should ask about first.  
  
"We have checked the condition of your Navi as well, by the way..." the doctor mentioned as he places my PET on the bedside, "There was no permanent damage to him, or anything that is out of the ordinary."  
  
"How do you know so much about this...?" I finally mustered the thought to ask the doctor, mostly out of the drawing curiosity that he is no ordinary doctor in this hospital.  
  
"You are not the first one to have gone through the Synchronization, or what is commonly termed as the 'Full Synchro'", the doctor mentioned as he used the device that covers his left eye to change the display on the monitor to show some people, "Hikari Netto and Ijuin Enzan were the first to have used this technique with their Navis, Rockman and Blues, respectively. The Solitary Star is also known to have mastered this technique to a point where his Navi has defied the rules of Navi sciences."  
  
"So why are you here then?" I then asked the doctor, feeling somewhat wary of how he mentioned examples as if they are more of specimens for studying, "I mean, I was just lucky to be able to do something like that, right?"  
  
"On the contrary, Ryuu, luck only plays a very small role with regards to the capability to do a Synchronization," the doctor mentioned as he finally turned the monitor off and pulled a chair to sit beside my bed, "One can technically die from misusing the capabilities of Synchronization."  
  
"W, what should I do then?" I nervously asked when he mentioned the possibility of death. I have no plans of dying at this age, especially not while being with my Navi within the network.  
  
"That is why I am here, Ryuu," the doctor reiterated as he leaned back on his seat, "We need to get a better look at the nature of the Synchronization, and you are the only one actually here with that capability. Once we understand the limits of the capability, then we can figure out how you can perform Synchronization without having to worry about passing out like the previous battle."  
  
I simply nodded in agreement to what the doctor said at that time, not realizing that this is the point where I will not be living an ordinary life of being just another netbattler any more. 


	7. Chapter 6

Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but centered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem Gaiden RPG.

Chapter 6: The Shield's Materials

After recovering from the first time of using the capabilities of synchronization, Ryuu has agreed to let Dr. Seitamashii Daikou Kojuro to keep tabs on his training and learning. However, this change in Ryuu's timetable is by no means any easier than his original schedule.

Academy in Hokuto City

Gaius stands alone in a large and empty field as Ryuu watches over his Navi through the holographic projector. All is quiet until five Swordins materialize around Gaius, all of them around three to four strides away from striking distance. Each Swordin brandishing a different type of sword, Gaius cautiously eyes the viruses as they circle around him at a slow pace. It seemed to take an eternity in waiting, until the noise of a buzzer signals the Swordins to charge towards the armored Navi.

"Now! Gaius!" Ryuu called out as he brought up a set of battlechips for Gaius to use and slotted them into his PET. The next few moments passed like a blur, as Gaius remains standing with the Swordins deteriorating just a few steps away from him.

"Synchronization delay has reduced drastically…" Daikou mentioned as he checks the timer monitoring the fight, "Quite impressive…"

"That's good to hear…" Ryuu then said as he plugs Gaius out of the simulator and back to the PET. Both operator and Navi are clearly relieved that training is finally over as they watched the slow-motion replay of what took place a while ago.

The slow-motion replay starts at the moment when the buzzer sounded, with the Swordins clearly making their charge towards Gaius. Checking on Gaius' status, one can see that Ryuu has achieved full synchronization with Gaius as soon as Ryuu uploads his battlechips. Once integrated, Gaius immediately uses Counter against the Swordin in front of him as he activates the Curse Shield to block and destroy the Swordin to his right before stepping out of the way.

Bringing out a Mega Cannon, Gaius then fired it at the first Swordin that managed to follow him. Aiming the cannon to the virus' head, he managed to obliterate the virus as it is bringing down its sword. Nevertheless, there are two more Swordins that have already readied their swords for their attacks as Gaius turns to face them.

A loud clash resounded as the two Swordins deal their blows, with Gaius holding a Wide Sword to block the attack. Pushing the two viruses away, Gaius then delivers two sword strikes, cutting the remaining Swordins into half as they reorient themselves.

"So, do we get time out now?" Ryuu asked Daikou after they have watched his performance, "We have been undergoing lots of tests for the whole week now."

"Yes, I believe that you had performed exceptionally well this week," Daikou mentioned, nodding in satisfaction after seeing the results of the training, "You are free to enjoy yourself until further notice."

"Alright!" Ryuu cheered as he puts his PET into his belt strap before leaving the room and look for his companions.

"He's still a kid after all…" Daikou mentioned while shaking his head, pressing a button that is blinking on the console. He then turns to look to the monitor nearby as a figure appears on the screen.

"What is your evaluation of his performance?" the figure on the monitor asked Daikou, not mentioning anything else as he waits for a reply.

"The child's potential is outstanding," Daikou answered matter-of-factly before continuing to explain, "While his capabilities are not yet comparable to the Solitary Star, the child nevertheless somehow manages to make up his lack of proficiency in programming with a determined and positive outlook."

"It is without a doubt that he will become a very powerful netbattler if he continues receiving proper training and guidance," Daikou added with a light bow of respect to the person he is talking to on the monitor, "Still, I believe it is best that we should be subtle in his training, lest he finds out the reason behind all this."

"Very well, Allseer. We shall leave that task up to you," the figure on the monitor mentioned before ending communications with Daikou. Turning away from the console, Daikou approaches the window to look to the city outside, wondering what other surprises Ryuu is capable of manifesting if he continues to train.

Coming out of the facility without hesitation, Ryuu hurried down to the park to look for the others. He finds Jian sitting underneath the tree, savoring the becalming sound the breeze is making as it blows by the trees. Somewhere nearby, Earl is busy netbattling with other people, probably training in order to improve his own skills.

"They finally let you out, Ryuu?" Jian asks Ryuu upon noticing his arrival, not bothering to get up as he looks at what Earl is doing. Ryuu nodded as he then looks to Earl and noticing a change in how he fights.

"If you are curious at what got into him, it is because of that fight we had the week before," Jian mentions as he finally gets up from his spot under the tree, crossing his arms over his chest as he stands beside Ryuu, "He said that he realized that he can't just depend on others to let him win the fights he is in."

"And some day, I'll beat that Navi of yours even without Jian's help!" Earl butted in after finishing his fill of netbattles and turning to look at Ryuu, "I'm not going to lose to your crummy armored Navi!"

"He didn't change much, has he?" Ryuu asks Jian while still looking in partial disbelief at Earl. Gaius could only nod in agreement to how Ryuu feels about Earl.

"A fine sword can't be forged overnight, give him time…" Jian replies with a casual shrug as he starts to head to Earl, "Training's not done yet, time for us to head over to the Internet and see how well you can do against viruses."

"Heh, anything to outdo the armored vegetable," Earl replies cockily, turning to face Ryuu once again with a pointed finger, "Better train all you can, Ryuu! I'll beat you in a netbattle someday for sure!"

"Alright then, Earl, see you guys then," Ryuu waves goodbye to them, feeling a little awkward at the attention he is getting.

"I believe that Earl is just hiding what he really thinks of you, don't you think?" Gaius asks Ryuu when the two are already far from hearing distance.

"Maybe? Still, it is good to see that he's not quite the coward we used to know him," Ryuu replies, smiling as he turns around to see what they should do next, "So where do you want to go next?"

"I just remembered, Arisa sent an email for you the other day," Gaius finally spoke up after trying to think of what they should do, "She was checking to see how you are, since she hasn't seen you ever since Dr. Daikou Kojuro has showed up that day."

"What!? How come you didn't tell me sooner?" Ryuu asked Gaius, obviously surprised that he didn't knew about the mail.

"Well, for starters, we have been training around the clock," Gaius replies as he looks to the side, "So even if I can tell you about it, you were too tired to take a look at it."

"Let's not just stand here then," Ryuu said as he writes up an email to reply to Arisa's letter, "Send this over to Arisa!"

"Got it, Ryuu! Meet with you over at Arisa's place," Gaius mentions with a thumbs-up sign as Ryuu plugs the PET in to a terminal nearby to let his Navi go ahead and send the message before running towards where Arisa lives.

Somewhere on top of a building, a figure is watching over what Ryuu is doing. He then brings out a phone to contact someone, "We have found the synchronizer and are awaiting orders…"


	8. Chapter 7

Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but centered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem Gaiden RPG.

Chapter 7: Celestial Darkside

"It is a good thing that Dr. Daikou gave you time for a break, Ryuu-san," Arisa mentioned as she set a cup of tea for Ryuu, "I was worried that we won't be seeing each other again."

"You could say that again..." Ryuu replied as he thanked Arisa for the tea, taking a sip to savor the flavor of the beverage, "I actually didn't notice how time passed by so quickly when Daikou gave me drills around the clock."

"Very true, if it weren't for the synchronization, the strain of the battle would be too much for me," Gaius added as he watches through the monitor of Ryuu's PET. Ryuu couldn't help but make a silly grin, remembering how grueling those training sessions compared to the usual drills at the Academy.

"That's right..." Ryuu then spoke up when he thought of something, "How are you doing lately? I mean... Since I'm not around to help."

"I'm doing fine, Ryuu-san," Arisa answered with a smile, taking a sip as well before continuing, "The instructor is teaching us on certain netbattling techniques to that we can defend ourselves better against stronger viruses."

"That's right!" Iris added from the confines of her PET, "Arisa-chan's virus busting skills have improved a lot from the last time we have been together!"

"N, not really, Iris..." Arisa mentioned, slightly embarrassed at how her Navi mentioned that she got better, "But we can take care of ourselves now."

"I see, that's good," Ryuu said with a smile, wondering what else they should talk about. Having finished his tea, Ryuu puts the cup on the table as he looks around the room. It is then that the doorbell rang.

"Excuse me, Ryuu-san, I'll take a look who's at the door," Arisa excused herself as she went to check the door.

"Okay, I'll wait here," Ryuu nodded in reply as he looks to Gaius, as if trying to tell his Navi that he has ran out of ideas on what to say. Gaius shook his head, showing that he has no idea on what to suggest to Ryuu.

"Who is it?" asked Arisa as she checked over the monitor beside the door to see who is on the other side, only to find nobody there. Curious on a possibility that it may be somebody pulling a prank, Arisa opens the door to take a look.

The only problem is that the door refused to budge. For some strange reason, the door seemed to have been stuck in place. Arisa pressed the button for the door to open a few more time, and each time receiving no response.

"Is there something wrong, Arisa-san?" Ryuu asked as he got up from the couch and beside Arisa. His attention is now on the door, which is the source of Arisa's concern.

"The door's stuck..." Arisa replied as she looks to Ryuu, a worried tone apparent as she spoke, "It has never happened before."

"The system might have gotten a bug," Ryuu suggested as he plugged his PET into the door's terminal, "Let's take a look at it, Gaius!"

"Plan confirmed, Ryuu," Gaius responded as he appears into the door's computer in a flash of emerald light. All around the verdant Navi are doorways that reflect the nature of the software. Further ahead, Gaius could hear electronic pleas of help.

Without hesitation, Gaius proceeded towards the source of the voice, and arrived at a clearing where a program is running around and being chased by three viruses that looked like hands, the Count Bomb viruses.

"HELP! HELP! HELP!" the program kept calling out as it strives to keep away from the viruses as fast as it could.

"Ryuu, we've got viruses in the system!" Gaius mentioned as he charged forward and bashed down on of the Count Bombs with his fist, "I need battlechips now!"

"Got it, Gaius! Battlechips are headed your way!" Ryuu responded as he drew three battlechips from his belt pouch and inserted them in tandem into his PET's chip slot. At the same time, the Count Bombs have broken off from chasing the frightened program and concentrated on dealing with the interfering Navi, setting up time bombs that started counting down.

"Graaahhh!!!" Gaius yelled as he lifted one of the time bombs and tossed it at the Count Bomb he struck down earlier, causing it to explode and dissipate into strands of data. He then rushed forth to the next Count Bomb that is tending to its time bomb and pierced a Long Sword right through, stepping back to toss a Cross Bomb at the viruses' position to take out the hand and the remaining time bombs.

With one virus remaining, Gaius strode forward at the virus and held it at its finger right before it is starting to form another time bomb. He sent it down onto the ground with a shoulder throw before pointing a Hi-Cannon at it and blasting it away.

"Viruses deleted, Ryuu," Gaius reported to Ryuu as he then turns to the program that is hiding behind a corner, "I'll go check on the program to find out what's going on."

"All right Gaius," Ryuu replied to Gaius as he looks around the room. Trying out the other doors around the room, he and Arisa have found themselves locked in with the same problem: none of the doors or windows are responding to the system.

"VIRUSES ARE TAKING OVER THE SYSTEM!" the program immediately spoke when it recognized Gaius approaching it, "PLEASE FIX THE SYSTEM! USE THIS KEY DATA TO DEAL WITH LOCKED DOORS."

"You heard that, Ryuu?" Gaius called out to contact his operator upon receiving the key data, "It's strange to find out that such a system can be easily contaminated by viruses, wouldn't it?"

"You've got a point there, Gaius..." Ryuu mentioned as he looks at his Navi's status, "All the exits in the room are locked, we're going to need you to unlock the system."

"Let me and Iris help out too," Arisa mentioned as she plugged her PET to an open terminal as well, sending Iris over into the system as soon as possible.

"We should split up, we could cover more ground that way," Iris suggested as she looks at the many doors that represented the locks of the room's system, "We can contact each other in case help is needed."

"Let's get going then!" Gaius exclaimed as he takes the door that he managed to open up with the key data, providing Iris with a copy of the data so that she could open the locks as well, "We don't know what bad things could happen if we stay here any longer."

The system is relatively easy to fix, with the capabilities of the two operators to work together. Soon, the two Navis come to the remaining door that they have yet to open.

"I recall that the main operating system is past this door," Iris said as she keeps rack of their progress. Gaius approaches carefully with key data in hand as he finally opened the last door.

"So whoever is behind this, has someone waiting for us in here?" Gaius asked as the door opens without any problem.

"Of course there should be someone waiting for you here," a heavy voice spoke from past the opened door as a tall and stout Navi stood in between Iris and Gaius and the main control panel. The Navi resembled a large padlock with a door-like object as a shield and a large key at the end of a chain.

"Is he the one behind all this?" Ryuu asked as he sees the Navi through the visuals of his PET, "Why are you doing this?"

"Who are you, and what do you want here?" Arisa also asked as she gets some of her battlechips at ready.

"My name would be Archeos the Gate Warden," the Navi introduced himself with a bow, "As for my purpose for causing you trouble, I'm afraid, is because of some orders."

"Orders?" Gaius asked as he cautiously entered the room. Iris followed a few steps behind him.

"Unfortunately, Jyagatsu has considered you as a danger to whatever he is planning, and wanted you to expire as soon as possible," Archeos mentioned as he began to swing his key chain over his head, sending it flailing towards the two Navis before him once he gathers enough momentum to strike, "We are merely following orders, so we apologize for doing this before you truly satisfy what we need to do."

Gaius moved forward, bringing up a shield to block the incoming attack. The key did not bounce off the green Navi's shield, however, instead embedding itself with a solid "click" before pulling out. Archeos then charged forward to tackle Gaius down with his own shield.

Bracing himself, Gaius prepares to take the attack with his shield. The result is a resounding crash, as Archeos rams into the startled Gaius like a bullet train, sending the armored Navi to the floor.

"What happened?" Ryuu asked in surprise as he checks Gaius' status and noticed that the shield program became inaccessible, "Could it be that his key...?"

"That's right..." Archeos seemingly grinned as he started swinging his key chain again while turning around to face the two, "I can render programs locked when I want to."


	9. Chapter 8

Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but centered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem Gaiden RPG.

Chapter 8: Intruder at the Gate

"What happened?" Ryuu asked in surprise as he checks Gaius' status and noticed that the shield program became inaccessible, "Could it be that his key…?"

"That's right…" Archeos seemingly grinned as he started swinging his key chain again while turning around to face the two, "I can render programs locked when I want to."

"Gaius, are you all right?" Iris asked as she moved to flank Archeos and fired beams of colored light at him. Archeos was momentarily stunned by the multitude of colors that glared at him, raising his shield to guard his eyes.

"Iris, now!" Arisa called out as she uploads three Boomerang battlechips for Iris. The Navi responded by unleashing a rain of boomerangs, intentionally throwing her aim off to avoid hitting Archeos' shield. As quick as they flew past the gate-like knight, the boomerangs quickly turned and struck Archeos from behind.

"I'm fine… But we should not let him hit us with his weapon!" Gaius calls out to Iris as he receives three Hi-Cannons from Ryuu. He moves quickly to perform the Hyper Hi-Cannon to deplete as much energy from Archeos as he can.

"That's it, let's keep the pressure up!" Ryuu mentioned as he sends in more Hi-Cannons for Gaius to use.

"Don't think that I am just a pushover like any World Three goon!" Archeos exclaims as he brings up his shield, sending his key chain right into it. Just as quickly, the key chain sprouts up underneath Gaius' position, sending him to the ground.

"Can't move…!" Gaius exclaimed as his systems flashed red, with Ryuu's PET sending a feedback that his Navi's movement capabilities were locked.

"He can attack in that manner too?" Ryuu remarks as he tries to fix Gaius' systems to unlock the locked capabilities as quickly as possible.

"Iris! Keep him busy!" Arisa called to her Navi as she slotted in an Invis battlechip, followed with a Zap Ring and a Trident.

Iris quickly activated the Invis battlechip, rendering her invisible to her opponent and managing to avoid the incoming key chain just in time. She responded in kind by sending forward the Zap Ring at Archeos.

"Grah!? Do you think that stalling for time will help you get away?" Archeos remarked as he glared left and right of his position, waiting for the paralysis to wear off.

"Maybe, but at least we'll take you down before you can do anything else!" Iris replied as she reappeared behind Archeos and shot him with three tridents at his back before moving away.

"Persistent nuisance…" Archeos muttered as he sticks his key chain into his shield once again, causing the key to strike upwards from the floor underneath Iris.

"Iris, move!" Arisa exclaimed as her Navi proceeded to execute evasive maneuvers to avoid getting hit by the keychain. They knew well that getting hit even by just one shot would mean that this Navi would get the upper hand.

"So, you're capable of moving quickly," Archeos mentioned as he has to turn around to keep track of where Iris is going, "Let us see if you can keep running after I do this!"

Setting the door like shield on the ground, the shield starts to replicate itself and fly towards Iris. The smaller and faster Navi manages to avoid getting hit by the doors as they eventually circle around her.

"Iris, let's bring them down!" Arisa mentions as she uploads a pair of Cannons for Iris to use against the doors. Activating the battlechips, Iris then aims and fires at two of the surrounding doors.

"Heh, that attack is too simple to take my doors down," Archeos gloats as the doors Iris aimed at opened up, letting the shots enter through them. Two of the remaining doors suddenly opened up as well, sending the shots right back to the surrounded Navi.

"Unh!?" Iris exclaimed as she fell to her knees after taken by surprise. Arisa is just as surprised that Archeos is capable of doing something like that. She sends in a Recovery to repair the damage that Iris received.

"Arisa-chan, I need the Black Bomb!" Iris called out as the doors begin to close in on her. She only manages to keep them at bay with the use of swinging attacks from her staff.

"Hold on, Iris!" Arisa replied with the uploading of the Black Bomb and a Heat Shot. Taking out the Black Bomb, Iris sets it right in front of her as the doors have closed her possible escape route. Iris' left arm then changes into a cannon that starts to glow red at the nozzle.

"The fool! Is she going to act so recklessly?" Archeos wondered as he noticed the bomb being set down, moving away to get away from the possible blast radius.

"Black Bomb explosion!" Iris yelled as she fires the Heat Shot towards the Black Bomb, causing a powerful explosion that shatters the doors to pieces, shooting upwards and then outwards as the blast finds its way out of the center.

"Iris!" Gaius calls out from where he lies, noticing the massive explosion. As the smoke clears, Iris can be seen standing. The explosion has damaged various parts of her body, with bits of data streaming from her.

"But why…?"Ryuu asked in wonder as he looks to Arisa, who in turn looks to Ryuu.

"It's the remaining alternative Iris and I have left…" Arisa mentions with a weak smile, "We know you two can beat him."

Iris managed a smile as well, before she closes her eyes and collapse to the floor.

"Hmph! A powerful attack, but a futile gesture," Archeos said as he then turns to look at Gaius, "Especially if the other one is immobilized."

"We'll show you what immobilized mean…" Ryuu replied as his body begins to glow, with Gaius glowing in a bright emerald hue in response. Gritting his teeth, Gaius slowly begins to move to his knees, and then stand up. With a loud and angry cry, two locks suddenly come out of Gaius' body and shatters.

"I-Impossible…" Archeos stuttered in awe at the immense power that Gaius displayed before quickly calming himself. Spinning the key chain over his head, Archeos sends his weapon towards Gaius once again to bring him down.

"Don't you think that attack has already been used?" Ryuu and Gaius spoke at the same time as Gaius suddenly moves out of the way and grabs the weapon by the chain. With a firm grip on the weapon, Gaius lets out a yell as he yanks on it with all his strength. Archeos is forced off the ground when Gaius begins to whirl the weapon over his head, before letting it go to send his opponent slamming towards the wall.

"Iris has sacrificed herself to take down your possible defenses," Gaius mentions as a brilliant green Dream Sword materializes from his arm. Before Archeos could reply or even act, Gaius sends the sword across Archeos' neck and behead the Navi.

The lock system let out a beep, and all doors and windows finally unlock with a click. Canceling the Synchro, Gaius heads over to check on Iris.

"Gaius how is she?"Ryuu asks as his Navi monitors Iris' status.

"She can be repaired, but with some assistance," Gaius replied after analyzing her condition, "She can still plug out with minimum problems."

"You did your best, Iris," Arisa thanked her Navi as she sends a command to get her Navi out of the system and back into her PET for repairs. Ryuu did the same with Gaius before offering to help Arisa fix Iris.

Elsewhere…

"Tsk… The two of them are much stronger than I figured…" a man stated to himself as he looks up from the monitor with a grin, "It would seem that Archeos has suffered the consequences of taking them lightly. I pray that the rest of you have learned from this lesson."

"Yes, Lord Jyagatsu," voices replied from the computer as the figures of some Navis bowed in response before disappearing from the screen to leave the man, Jyagatsu, by himself.

A mad laughter echoed through the dark hallways immediately after that.


	10. Chapter 9

Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but centered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem Gaiden RPG.

Chapter 9: Unwanted Foe

The city's police have began their investigation as soon as they found out that there was a network attack at Arisa's place, and have worked the whole day to make sure that no clues are left out. While these are regular protocols followed by the network police in Seikuu, it proved to be an inconvenience for Arisa when there is no privacy left at the apartment she is living. Dr. Daikou (as Ryuu has come in terms to address his teacher to avoid confusion with the Kojuro of Solitary Star) has made arrangements to make sure that Arisa has a place to stay at the dormitories for the time being until the investigations are done.

"It is really nice of Dr. Daikou Kojuro to give me a place to stay…" Arisa mentioned over the phone with Ryuu as she gave Iris a quick diagnostics check to make sure that everything is working in order, "The police were all over the apartment that I have no room for myself back there."

"That is a given, especially with what happened yesterday…" Ryuu replied as he searches the Internet for information about Jyagatsu, "How is Iris faring?"

"I am just finishing the diagnostics check," Arisa answered when the diagnostics have completed, "How are you feeling, Iris?"

"Hai! I'm as good as new, Arisa-chan!" Iris replied cheerfully from the screen of Arisa's PET, raising her hand up over her head to show that she is all right, "Arigatou, Ryuu-kun, Gaius-san!"

"No problem, Iris," Gaius replied from Ryuu's PET with a casual nod, "Friends are supposed to look out for each other, isn't that right, Ryuu?"

"Umm, yeah…" Ryuu nodded as he finally turns away from the monitor of his computer, "Though… This Jyagatsu…"

"Are you still worried about it, Ryuu-san?" Arisa asked Ryuu with a concerned tone.

"Yeah… I'm worried about what this guy is planning to do next, especially after yesterday…" Ryuu mentioned as he felt sad that it was because of his capability that got them into trouble, "I'm sorry if I got you into trouble, Arisa-san."

"Eh? What are you talking about, Ryuu-san?" Arisa asked back, blinking in surprise when Ryuu brought the apology up, "It isn't your fault, in the first place, they're the ones who attacked, right?"

"That's right! Ryuu-kun is not to blame for what happened yesterday!" Iris replied after her operator asked the question, "That evil man is to blame for this!"

"Come to think of it, Arisa and Iris have a point there, Ryuu…" Gaius nodded while thinking over the situation, "Nevertheless, do you have any luck in finding out about this Jyagatsu, Ryuu?"

"No luck, it's as if he never existed," Ryuu replied with a sigh as he leaned back into his seat, "I asked Dr. Daikou this morning, but he didn't tell me anything about Jyagatsu. Instead, he told us to be more careful."

"Which is why I'm staying with him within The Academy," Ryuu added as he looks around the place. While it is bigger than his room back in the dormitory, he has little chance of going out, with the doctor's concern for his safety.

"Sou ka…" Arisa nodded as she finally takes the PET off from her computer, "But where is Dr. Daikou?"

"I've heard that he has an important meeting to attend to," Ryuu shrugged in response, having grown tired of spending lots of time within the training facility, "Didn't say what the meeting is for, however."

At the same time…

"That is true, it seems that Jyagatsu has his eyes on the Shieldbearer this time," Daikou answered as he stood before a number of people in a council. It is difficult to identify the people presiding over the council, with the lights of the room focused at the center and away from the speakers.

"The situation proves serious indeed…" one of the speakers stated without much fanfare, "Despite the efforts of the Solitary Star and the Star Angel, this man decides to strike again after a long disappearance."

"It is sad to say that Jyagatsu will not stop until every potential threat to his power has been eliminated," Daikou replied with a bow before looking back up to the speakers, "If he is after the Shieldbearer, there is no telling who else he would have targeted as potential threats to his goal of being the world's sole superpower."

"Then the Dreaded Moon has left us with no other alternative…" another of the speakers stated, standing up to address to Daikou, "The Shieldbearer will then have to face the dangers that will seek him out. It would seem that his ability would be what will keep Jyagatsu from continuing this form of disturbance."

"If that is what the council has decided upon, then it will be done," Daikou replied with a bow as he moves away backwards through the door behind him.

And Daikou did all that he can to prepare Ryuu in facing the possible dangers that Jyagatsu can unleash. Training spanned for days, even stretching to weeks and months as the limits of both operator and Navi are pushed to the fullest. Ryuu could hardly refuse to the sudden climb in training, still feeling that it was his shortcomings that have put Arisa in trouble.

"Ryuu, aren't you pushing yourself too far?" Gaius asked his operator, looking at Ryuu's exhausted form slump into the bed.

"It's not enough, Gaius…" Ryuu answered as he closed his eyes, "If I want to make sure that this Jyagatsu doesn't cause any trouble again, I have to be better than best."

"But you hardly have time to meet with your friends anymore," Gaius mentioned with concern, "While it would be a good idea to train, you can't keep up with this without knowing that your friends will be there for you."

"… I guess you're right…" Ryuu finally spoke as he reached out for the phone, deciding that he should give Arisa a call. The phone rang several times before it was finally answered by the apartment's answering machine network.

"HELLO, HOW MAY I HELP YOU?" the program asked in a cheery tone as it waits for Ryuu's request.

"Excuse me, but can I ask if Arisa is available?" Ryuu inquired the program, hoping that he could contact Arisa after a long time.

"UMMM, SORRY, ARISA SKYBRAND HAS LEFT HER APARTMENT YESTERDAY TO RETURN TO HER FAMILY, SORRY," the program responded before proceeding to ask another question, "CAN I HELP YOU WITH ANYTHING ELSE?"

"N, no… Thank you…" Ryuu replied as he hung up the phone, in disbelief to know that he won't be seeing Arisa anymore. It felt like something rammed straight to his stomach and forced the breath, and words, out of his lungs.


	11. Chapter 10

Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but centered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem Gaiden RPG.

Chapter 10: Bad Moon Showdown

Two months after the incident...

Ryuu has rose to become one the best Netbattlers known in Seikuu and is also a member of the country's network defense team known as the Celestials. This elite group of Netbattlers has been brought together to silence Jyagatsu's attempts of taking over the networks once and for all.

Yuekage Network...

Sounds of running have been constantly echoing down this labyrinth of data as a green, armored Navi charges through. Two purple-colored security Navis attempt to block the path, raising their buster cannons to bring down the intruder.

"Sword, Wide Blade, Long Blade!" the operator declared as he inserts the battlechips into his PET, and the Navi bringing forth a brilliant great sword with the response, "Dream Sword!"

Cries of pain are released from the two blocking Navis as they are promptly struck down from where they stood, with the green, armored Navi continuing onwards. Some distance behind him, two more Navis follow, trying to catch up with their companion.

"Sir Earl, Gaius is heading forward too fast, we could barely keep up with him any more," the shadowy Navi spoke as he ran side-by-side with a Navi carrying a pair of swords on his back and another pair on both sides of his hips.

"We can't do anything about it anymore, Shade," Earl responded as he looks over to Gaius' operator, "Ryuu's gone Full Synchro ever since we started engaging in that liberation mission outside the network's firewall."

"Nevertheless, we should try our best to follow," Earl's companion spoke as he monitors their surroundings, "Zan, be sure that you and Shade provide Gaius with all the support he needs."

"Ha, Jian-dono," Zan responded to his operator in his usual courteous, yet distant manner as they try their best to follow the path Gaius opened. It did not take long before they finally unlock the last doorway of the headquarters.

"Finally! Let's go, Gaius!" Ryuu mentioned as he immediately plugs Gaius out of the network, heading through the newly opened door.

"Hey! Wait up, Ryuu!" Earl mentioned as he is plugging his own Navi out, annoyed at how Ryuu is taking things on his own, "Grrr!"

"You can have all the time growling after we finish Jyagatsu, Earl," Jian mentioned after plugging out his Navi back into his PET, "We should hurry up."

Ryuu runs without any hesitation as he rushes into the room. Jyagatsu owes him many things for all the trouble he has caused. Above all, Arisa was blamed because of Ryuu's abilities. Ryuu felt that he is responsible for all that has happened, and decided that he will find a way to finish Jyagatsu and bring the foe to justice.

"Jyagatsu!" Ryuu called out as he finally steps into the end of the room, filled with several monitors on the wall, and a massive chair set in the middle looking towards the huge monitor. Only the light of the screens illuminated the room with an eerie light-blue glow.

"Jyagatsu!" Ryuu called out once again as he comes closer to the large chair, "You have nowhere to go now! You'll pay for all that you have done!"

"Is that so, Shieldbearer?" a voice echoed throughout the room through the speakers as the chair slowly revolved, "But are you sure that you have gotten me?"

The chair revolves all the way to reveal the figure sitting on it. A pale, old man sits to the chair, attached with various devices on him and to the wires that leads to the computers all around the room.

"As you can see, only my body remains on the physical world," a face appears on the largest monitor of the room. The face looks very similar to the old man on the chair, only much younger, looking stronger, and more fearsome, "With my soul now in the network, I no longer age! I am immortal and omnipotent!"

Ryuu's fists tightened as he tries to figure out what he should do. Jyagatsu is on his way to escape once again, and will cause more harm if he manages to leave Yuekage's network. Thinking quickly, he does the only alternative that is available to him right now.

"Gaius.exe, plug in!" Ryuu declares as he sets the PET's cable jack into the available terminal, sending Gaius into the network once again. As soon as Gaius materializes into the network, operator and Navi immediately go into Full Synchro once again to deal with the escaping entity.

"You're too late!" Jyagatsu calls out as he looks to Gaius, with a strange machine behind the human-turned-Navi, "Once the program is fully functional, I will have access to travel across the network!"

"We'll just have to make sure that won't happen then..." Shadowblade, who is the unison of Shade and Zan, mentioned as he appears from atop the machine. Bringing over his head a large shadow sword, Shadowblade thrusts it into the machine before jumping off to destroy it in the process.

"No!" Jyagatsu cried out as he fired a beam at the escaping Shadowblade, badly hurting the unison Navi while the latter was getting down.

"Gnnnhhh..." Shadowblade seemingly grimaced as the damage was dealt to his side, he looks to Gaius with a weak smile before continuing, "I was hoping we could even up the odds by teaming up on him, but the damage I sustained from his attack was somehow critical, so I will just have to leave it to you."

With that, Shadowblade plugs out before Jyagatsu could fire another blast at the unison Navi, leaving Gaius to deal with the human Navi.

"This is the end of the line, Jyagatsu..." Ryuu's voice echoed with Gaius' as they set up their battle operations, "Looks like the only way to stop you now is to delete you."

"You are welcome to try, Shieldbearer," Jyagatsu mentioned as he turned away from the remains of the program to look at Gaius, "Once I'm through with you, I can still rebuild the program and escape."

With that, Jyagatsu fired the first attack, unleashing several bolts of energy storming forth from the palm of his hand. Ryuu responded by bring up the Aura battlechip, bringing about a protective barrier around Gaius to protect him from harm as the armored Navi charged forward to close in the gap at Jyagatsu. Once an arm's length of his foe, Gaius lunges forward, going in to deliver a powered tackle at Jyagatsu.

Forced to double back, Jyagatsu responds by delivering a slash at Gaius with a Fighter Sword. Gaius brought his arms up, with shields forming on his armor to take the brunt of the attack as the Aura was popped like a bubble. At the same moment, Ryuu slots in a Heat Body for Gaius, allowing the Navi to unleash a powerful burst of flame around him.

"Enough!" Jyagatsu exclaimed as he brushes the flames off himself, releasing a blast of energy at Gaius that sends even the stalwart Navi sailing backwards and sliding across the floor. Ryuu gritted his teeth in pain, with blood coming out of his mouth as he knelt on the floor.

"Unlike your Full Synchro, Shieldbearer, I have no living body to speak of that can be affected whenever my data body is harmed," Jyagatsu spoke as he started to float up into the air with a sphere of energy gathering in his hand, "Your Full Synchro indeed allows your Navi to act as one with you, unfortunately, that means you also receive the harm that your Navi receives."

"Ryuu, your body can't take the strain of his attacks..." Gaius mentions as he manages to get up on one knee. Sparks course about his body as he finally manages to stand.

"But without Full Synchro, he'll finish you without any trouble..." Ryuu mentioned as he draws some battlechips from the pack strapped to his left arm, "We'll just have to use this..."

"It is time to say farewell, Shieldbearer," Jyagatsu mentions as he raises the glowing sphere over his head. With the sphere already five times larger than its bearer, Jyagatsu then throws the energy sphere down at Gaius.

Moving quickly, Ryuu slotted in the following battlechips, a Met Guard, Curse Shield, and a Holy Panel, in the proper order. A bright glow surrounded Gaius' body as a special program advance is set up.

"Defense Program Advance: Paladin Shield!" Gaius declares as an alabaster shield formed before him to receive the incoming attack, and send back the energy in a powerful beam of light.

"Gyaaaahhh?" Jyagatsu cried out as he slams into a wall, sliding down onto the floor with a thud as his body is badly damaged from the counterattack. Gaius got closer, aiming a Cannon at Jyagatsu's crippled form.

"Now, it is definitely over," Ryuu spoke between breaths, as he makes sure that Gaius' condition is all right. Everything seems to be fine and soon Jyagatsu will be imprisoned in a modified data storage device to keep him from causing any more harm.

Everything is all right, until the network begins to shudder.


	12. Chapter 11

Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but centered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem Gaiden RPG.

Chapter 11: The Breaking of a Partnership

"What was that...?" Ryuu asked as he looked around the network through Gaius' eyes, feeling the evident movement that shook the area.

Another earth-shaking tremor ran across the network, causing the emerald green Navi to brace himself in order to avoid stumbling from the force.

"The network seems to be falling apart..." Gaius mentioned as he managed to get upright, "We must leave as soon as possible!"

"All right, we should plug out then," Ryuu answered as he sets up the log-out program of his PET. The PET did not respond, with Gaius still in the network. The PET instead displays a critical error, stating that it is incapable of recognizing the command.

"Ryuu, there is something wrong with the PET's system!" Gaius noticed as nothing happened at where he is. The network shudders once more. This time, cracks begin to form along the walls and floors of the network, running through the entire area of the network.

"Gaius, run!" Ryuu called out to his Navi when he realized the scope of the situation. There is no way for Gaius to escape through the PET, which means whatever is going on will destroy Gaius completely if he does not escape the network.

Jyagatsu merely laughed maniacally, as he managed to produce a strange data in his hand.

"Fools! There is no escape from the network collapse!" Jyagatsu declared as his body begins to glow, with several lines of data surrounding it, "Only sanctuary you will find is the Undernet!"

Without further explanation, Jyagatsu vanishes from sight. The human-turned-Navi has escaped once again before the network begins falling apart into non-existence, leaving Gaius to escape on his own, running as fast as he could as the area behind him breaks and disappears into nothingness.

Ryuu's phone rang at this moment as he tries to figure out how to help Gaius out, with Jian speaking from the other side of the receiver.

"Ryuu, head back to Hokuto's primary server," Jian stated to Ryuu bluntly and without fanfare, "The administrator has set up a shortcut there that leads directly to the Undernet. Tell anyone else you meet to follow Gaius so to avoid further casualties."

"Got it," Ryuu replied as he then looks back to Gaius, who has just managed to get out of the Yuekage Network. It was a terrible sight to behold: it was as if Ragnarok has taken place in the networks, and there is no stopping it in any way. Any attempts at delaying the collapse only resulted in vain; with many Navis that are unable to get away fast enough from the collapse simply vanished without a trace.

"Everyone, to the Hokuto primary server!" Gaius called out to the other Navis nearby, motioning for them to follow as he leads the way. The collapse has started to pick up its pace, gradually moving faster as more and more of the network fall apart and vanish. Even at their fastest, some Navis are starting to fall behind and are becoming ready prey for the bottomless void.

Without another thought, Ryuu engaged Full Synchro with Gaius to head back and pull out the Navi that almost got caught in the collapse.

"Help him get to Hokuto server!" Ryuu and Gaius' voice spoke as they continue to lead those who can still run and handing the exhausted Navi to another one that has some sort of transport in use.

After minutes of close shaves as they make their way to the main server, Gaius can see that the others are still managing to keep the Hokuto server stable.

"Jian, how is it possible for the Hokuto server to still stand up to all this?" Ryuu asked as he joined Jian and Earl outside Jyagatsu's base.

"We're tapping onto the Undernet's structural integrity..." Jian replied as he looked to Ryuu, "Apparently, only the Undernet is unaffected by the network collapse. However, the stability reinforcement can only stand for a few minutes more. Better tell Gaius and whomever he is leading along to get to the gateway now before the time runs out."

"All right, everyone through the gateway!" Gaius calls on those whom he has lead along to the Hokuto server, then noticing a group of Navis seemingly working on something on the upper levels of the primary server.

"What are those Navis doing?" Ryuu pointed out the sight to Jian and Earl, seeing that it looked like something crucial, "Why aren't they getting through the gateway yet?"

"The Council is trying to figure out a way to build self-contained networks within the Undernet," Earl stated from his position at the outpost they set up outside Jyagatsu's base, "The data they are constructing will provide the Navis heading there with a safe area against the powerful viruses inhabiting the Undernet."

"Zan, how much longer do they need to complete the data?" Jian asks his Navi as Earl explained to Ryuu on the importance the data carries.

"About one minute more, Jian-dono," Zan responded as he supervises the data construction to make sure nothing goes wrong.

"That's good then, isn't it?" Earl asked from where he is, "Since the network integrity can still hold on for two..."

Another powerful tremor shook the network, with the structural integrity cracking slightly from the pressure of the collapse outside.

"Spoke too soon..." Earl cursed as he works on recalculating the time they have left, "The network collapse just got stronger, we will be short by five seconds!"

"What? You can't be serious about that!" Ryuu exclaimed as he got to where Earl is standing to check, "Are you sure it wasn't just a miscalculation?"

"Zan, tell those Navis to work faster on the data construction, it seems that we have time against use from here on," Jian contacted his Navi as he then looks to Ryuu, "We need some way to hold back the collapse a little more. At most, we need a total of ten seconds to fully escape the network collapse without taking in casualties. Do you think Gaius is up to it?"

"Paladin Shield is a firewall class defense program," Gaius stated through the PET and to Ryuu, "I believe we can buy more than enough time to keep the collapse from doing its destruction."

"Gaius..." Ryuu spoke, finding the rest of the words harder to say, "But we just used it... and even at Full Synchro..."

"We have been through the worst together, Ryuu," Gaius managed a smile as he turns to face his operator, "If this is where I will stand last, then I am glad to have known you as my operator."

"Gaius..." Ryuu looked to his Navi, and then to Jian, "All right then, the safety of all the other Navis depend on this. We'll do it."

Time seemed to slow as the three operators work on preparing the plan. Ryuu is to engage Full Synchro with Gaius as soon as the time runs out. During that time, Shade and Zan will help the remaining Navis to escape through the gateway with the network data, then come back to get Gaius out as well.

Ryuu held the battlechips firmly in his hands, waiting for the moment to bring up the shield and hold back the collapse.

"Five, four, three, two, one... Now!" Earl called out to Ryuu as soon as the network's stability begins to give way, giving the netbattler his cue to act quickly.

"Gaius, Full Synchro!" Ryuu called out as the battlechips come together into his PET, "Program Advance: Paladin Shield!"

The enormous barrier trembled under the pressure of the collapse as Ryuu and Gaius holds it back in the way a dam is standing up against floodwater after a storm. It is taking Ryuu all his concentration to hold maintain his barrier up and buy time for the others to complete their work.

Five seconds have passed when the barrier began to feel the effects of the collapse as well. Portions of the collapse lash out through cracks appearing in the barrier, easily damaging Gaius despite his protective armor. Blood flowed freely from Ryuu's right arm; on the same spot that Gaius received the blow.

"Gnnnhhh!" Ryuu grimaced as he felt the pain that seared right through his bleeding arm. Still, he knew people are counting on them to hold back the collapse until the construction data is transported through the gateway.

The collapse lashed out once more through the cracks and struck at Gaius' left leg, causing the Navi to fall on his knees as the barrier has worn thin in several places. Should the collapse strike once more, the barrier will no doubt shatter under the weight of the powerful collapse.

"Four... more... seconds..." Ryuu murmured under his breath as he kneels on one knee, still struggling to maintain the Synchro. Just then, a fused Shade and Zan arrived to carry the wounded Navi out of the site and bring him along back to the gateway.

"Hold on just a little longer, Ryuu, Gaius," a combination of voices came from the fused Navi as he dragged the now-battered Gaius along, "We're going to make it."

Fate, however, has other things in mind. Just a step shy away from the gateway, the collapse ruptured through their path.

"There's no time..." Gaius spoke as he used the remaining strength within him to expand the Paladin Shield, using the barrier to brush away at the collapse and create a path to the gateway. With his undamaged left arm, he sends the fused Navi straight into the gateway.

"Gaius, what are you-" was the last remark that the fused Navi was able to say before he was sent into the gateway and into the Undernet.

"You too, Ryuu..." Gaius spoke as he struggles his way to the gateway, "You'll end up being like the Solitary Star if you remained in Synchro with me as we enter the gateway, I can afford to let that happen."

"But if I do that, the Paladin Shield will deactivate," Ryuu responded, vehemently refusing to let Gaius do what he wants, "You can't do anything more at this degree of damage!"

"The shield has done its duty..." Gaius replied as he closed his eyes, "The Shieldbearer should not suffer the same fate as the shield."

Before Ryuu could protest, Gaius forced him to disengage, sending Ryuu back to his body. Ryuu tried to call out amidst the flow of the collapse, to reach out, to say that he is willing to do whatever it takes if it means keeping his partner alive in any way.

Everything was drowned out by the collapse. The barrier finally shattered as Gaius is swept away from Ryuu's reach like a raging flood. The operator could only stare in horror as his Navi slowly dissipated before him, vanishing completely as they are separated further and further.

The last thing Ryuu saw from Gaius is his peaceful state. Gaius accepted his end with courage as his entirety is consumed and ceased to exist.

"NOOOOO!" Ryuu cried out with what strength he has left, finding himself kneeling on the ground with his hands supporting him from falling over. Tears flowed without stopping from his eyes, streaming down along his face. Looking on the ground, the only thing that Ryuu could focus on right now is the PET where he once had Gaius. The device is bloodied and wet with his tears, with the monitor showing nothing more but static as communications have been completely cut off from the network.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: World After Ruin

The world has been in shambles for the first few months after the network collapse, and it took great effort to start over again from the basics of computers, having to resort to the older units to manage getting things working again. The province of Seikuu is one of those that have suffered less from the collapse, due to the readied backup systems that did not rely too much on the more recent network systems. Still, there are things that cannot be recovered, no matter how much backing up is accomplished.

At the Hall of Celestials in Hokuto, a new monument has been erected beside that of Seitamashii Hoshi Kojuro and Laser. Gaius, posthumously granted the name Shield of Earth, stands beside the silent monument in the form of a holographic projection. The noble and loyal Navi's sacrifice is not forgotten, and people strived to get the province's systems back in working order for the sake of those who have been claimed by the collapse.

"Hmph, all that work, and the only thing they can make up for it is to erect a monument for Gaius," Earl muttered, leaning against a pillar by the entrance as he listens to the speech given in dedication of the armored Navi.

"It cannot be helped, given that it has always been this province's custom to at least remember those who have fallen," Jian spoke to Earl, standing beside his former partner as they continue to watch the ceremony, "No other province gives more importance to its predecessors than here in Seikuu."

"Whatever, but what about Ryuu?" Earl asked as he got off the pillar and turned to look to his companion, with hands in his pockets, "I mean, he has been in a state of shock for about… three, four months?"

"Three months and twenty days," Jian corrected Earl on that, "I have to admit it is beyond the ability of any of us to reach out to him and help him for now. Ryuu has to be aware of his own condition in order to be able to get by this loss."

Elsewhere…

"How is your condition, Allseer, were you able to recover from your injury?" one of the members of the Council inquired the doctor. Several swathes of bandages have wrapped around Daikou's head, particularly covering his left eye.

"The loss of my left eye is the least of our worries, Council…" Daikou responded with a bow before getting up to look to those present, "I have premeditated that such a sacrifice would be worth making if the safety of others are at stake."

"And what of the Shieldbearer?" another member of the Council asks, leaning forward to get a better look at the doctor.

"His wounds will heal, but…" Daikou paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully before proceeding with his explanation, "The shock he has experienced is best described as traumatic. We will be lucky if he is able to finally get up from his bed without assistance, but for now, we have yet to find a way to bring him back to his senses."

"Very well, Allseer," the Council responded as some of its members start to leave, "Do whatever you can to see that he stabilizes and recover. We have recently received some means to repair the network, but would utilize of some other means aside from Navis in navigating. We will give you further information once the system is fully established."

"As your request," Daikou responded with a bow as he steps back and turns toward the door, heading off to work on Ryuu's condition.

Hospital in Hokuto, intensive care ward…

The steady beeping of the heart monitor is the only sound that can be heard in the dim and solemn room. Lying in the hospital bed is the youth known as Seitamashii Ryuu, a determined youth with a unique capability of Full Synchro to empower his skill with that of his Navi. After the collapse however, Ryuu is but a fragment of himself. Seeing his dearest companion disappear from him has shattered his world, and most likely, his will to go on.

'Gaius…' Ryuu thought as he clutched the object wrapped by his hands and arms closer to his chest. It was the PET that once housed his partner and teammate Gaius. The PET is still bloodstained, with faint red patches that have already dried up on its surface. The medical staff has tried many attempts to get Ryuu to let go of the device, but could not break the youth's grip from the damaged PET.

Even with his eyes wide open, Ryuu could not notice what is going on around him. He did hear sounds and voices around him as he was rushed from the site and to the hospital. The pain has melted away as he passed out, as he awoke with a leaden feeling within his chest. Nothing seemed to matter ever since the moment Gaius disappeared from his life.

"How is his status?" Daikou asks as he enters the monitoring room, with a window having a full view of the ward that Ryuu is in.

"His life signs are okay," Arisa replied as she looks to the doctor and then to the graph that has been monitoring Ryuu's condition, "But he still showed no signs of recovering from the trauma…"

"And we have tried everything else that is available to us…" Daikou added as he gave it some thought. Arisa turns to continue watching and waiting, hoping that Ryuu would finally come to his senses from his almost-vegetative state.

Daikou watched, as Ryuu remains motionless in bed, completely oblivious to his surroundings and his condition. Taking the time to think of a solution, Daikou finally thought up of a plan that just might bring about Ryuu's original condition.

'It seems to be the only remaining option we have to get him back to us,' Daikou thought as he knew the risks that were attributed to the new system the Council has spoken of, 'But knowing hints of the system's nature, it will be the only way to bring him back.'


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Into the Cybersystem

Seitamashii Daikou Kojuro is working over a computer, inputting his findings regarding the new network that has been introduced from Electopia. They have called it the Cybersystem, and Daikou is tasked by the Council to do research and backwards engineering of the system in order to rebuild Seikuu's networks.

_The Cybersystem hardly changed in terms of the network's architecture when compared to pre-network collapse. There is a distinct difference in navigation, however, due to the absence of Navis caused by the network collapse. In order to make up for the absence of Navis and the corresponding PETs, a device called cyberband has been introduced in conjunction of this new network. The standard production type resembles a bracelet that is worn around the wrist. Battlechips have been replaced with new chips known as datasilvers, coin-like chips that hold data for storage before inputting them into the cyberband. Program customizers are replaced with adaptor bits, compact data holders that can upload customizable parameters and effects to the cyberband._

With Daikou's authorization, Ryuu was brought along to a special facility within the Academy. The room is filled with various servers, with a seat slightly similar to the one used by Jyagatsu located in the middle.

"Place him on the seat, I will handle it from here..." Daikou requested of the medical staff as they set him on the chair and made their leave. Placing an eyepiece over Ryuu's eyes, Daikou proceeded to the control deck and proceeded with the preparations.

_When the cyberband is activated, it is not only the person's consciousness that gets sent into the Cybersystem. The entire individual is transformed into data with a particular form dependent on the individual's preferences, characteristics, and personality. No one individual have the same form in the Cybersystem, just like they are different in the real world. This form that people assume within the Cybersystem is known as the cyberself._

_The cyberself usually behaves the same way as a normal body does, at least the presently available form of cyberself available for use. Since all cyberselves are humanoid in form, there is no difference in moving when compared to the body in a real world counterpart. One can still feel pain when assuming a cyberself, but any damage received in the Cybersystem does not carry over to the real world. In the event that a cyberself does receive a supposedly fatal damage, the cyberband's failsafe system automatically logs the individual back to the real world. One should note however that individuals who have undergone this sudden ejection experience temporary nausea and exhaustion._

Sitting on the control deck of the room a little off to the side, Daikou then started on getting things working. Inputting various data and initializing the system, the doctor proceeded on the operation to help Ryuu snap out of his shock. The machine Ryuu is on hummed to life, glowing brightly as power flows through its wires. The eyepiece that Ryuu is wearing started glowing as well, and soon, even Ryuu started to glow, and soon disappeared from sight.

Seeing Ryuu disappear from the device, Daikou turned his attention to the monitor on the control deck so that he could keep in touch with the youth.

Ryuu could feel his body being flung through the networks at high speeds, yet his body does not seem to be feeling any negative effects from it. In fact, he did not have any body to speak of yet, appearing as a featureless sphere within the network server.

"W, where am I...?" Ryuu wondered as he looked around and somehow found the sight around him familiar, "Is this the network...?"

Ryuu's attention then turned to himself. He was surprised to find himself without a body to speak of. There are no arms or legs; there is no discernable body form. Ryuu started to panic when Daikou's voice finally spoke.

"I see you finally came to your senses, Ryuu," Daikou spoke through the network, as a monitor appeared beside the sphere that is Ryuu, "You had people worried that you will never come to again."

"How long was it...? Since I was in shock?" Ryuu asked, not having realized how long he was out of himself.

"Four months at the most, since you last collapsed from loss of blood," Daikou responded with a shrug before continuing on, "Do you really think that Gaius would want you stay like that for the rest of your life?"

"N, no..." Ryuu replied, looking down the network's floor. The thought of that moment came back to him, when Gaius last vanished. His Navi had a content smile on his face before he was claimed by the collapse.

"Then shape up, Ryuu, the network is not completely lost yet," Daikou added as he looked at Ryuu's present form, "This is the Cybersystem now, and you can have a chance to get back at whoever is responsible with the network collapse."

"What do you mean, Daikou-sensei?" Ryuu asked, as he then looked straight at his mentor. His sadness has finally abated, and he is ready to continue on.

"The findings are not necessarily accurate..." Daikou responded as he continues to check on the data he received about the incident, "But sources are all pointing to one faction responsible for the network collapse, and the said faction made no attempt to deny the accusations. In fact, they are claiming that they are behind the network collapse."

"What group would plan to do something like that?" Ryuu asked defiantly as he tries to figure out how to move in his current form, which is next to impossible aside from the fact that he is floating in one place.

"This faction calls itself as the Gospel Reborn," Daikou mentioned as-a-matter-of-factly to Ryuu, "I have to say that they have a poor taste for naming themselves."

Ryuu felt something ablaze within him. He wanted to go after these people, bring them down, and question them for their motives for causing the destruction of someone so dear to him.

"Sensei... This Cybersystem..." Ryuu finally spoke in a determined voice and looked straight at his mentor, "I can fight in it as if I was in Full Synchro, can I?"

"Technically, yes," Daikou responded, as information seemed to feed into Ryuu, allowing him to understand how things work in the Cybersystem, "But you first need to assume a cyberself that you will use whenever you are in the Cybersystem."

"I have just the form..." Ryuu answered as he concentrated. Slowly, the sphere that was Ryuu started to grow larger, until it was human-sized. Features started to take shape after that, as an armored humanoid can be discerned from the light. Afterwards, the light receded, and Ryuu stood there, taking the form that is very similar to that of Gaius.

"Gaius' death will not be in vain..." Ryuu mentioned as he looked to his mentor. The latter simply smiled, seeing how the Shieldbearer is back to his former self.


End file.
